Even Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell has admitted he didn’t expect Lollapalooza to get a second wind and become the three-day behemoth that it has become. Staged as a destination festival in Chicago for the past seven years, Lollapalooza celebrated its 20th anniversary this year over the weekend of August 5-7 (and during a press conference held on Day One, Farrell announced Lolla will expand to Brazil next year). Even though some fans found the anniversary line-up to be lacking, that didn’t keep a capacity crowd of 90,000 away from Grant Park.

Festival fans had plenty of good acts to choose from, too. Day One featured the Vaccines, a great Brit garage pop band that delivered spot-on renditions of its overseas hits from its stellar debut, What Did You Expect from the Vaccines? Even though Everyman singer Justin Young didn’t look or act much like a rock star, he sure sounded good. Backed by a live band, Brit rapper Tinie Tempah delivered a high energy set of hip-hop, and Electric Touch, a terrific Austin band with a well-polished classic rock/bar band sound, was the day’s real surprise. They gave a white-hot performance in front of a small but enthusiastic crowd. Hot off an appearance at President Obama’s birthday party, OK Go was a side stage smash as its matching, colorful suits added some panache to its perky power pop.

While it was a bit odd that two similar sounding acts (Coldplay and Muse) were paired up against each other as headliners, we went to see Coldplay, which was playing what singer Chris Martin said was its “first proper concert back in America.” The band sounded fantastic, and Martin was certainly animated as the group ran through hits such as “Yellow” and “In My Place.” We finished the night off at the Belve Music Lounge at the W Chicago-City Center Hotel where Fitz and the Tantrums, Grace Potter, DJ White Shadow, and Two Door Cinema Club played an after party put on by Belvedere vodka. The bands were great and the vodka cocktails were amazing but the place was so packed we grew claustrophobic and only stayed long enough to catch DJ White Shadow’s opening set and a few tracks from Two Door Cinema Club, a terrific indie pop band out of Northern Ireland. Seeing these acts in an intimate setting was a real treat.

One of Day Two’s highlights was Fitz and Tantrums, whose original material had a distinctive, retro flair to it. They also turned a cover of the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams” into a sing-a-long. Dapper frontman Michael Fitzgerald thanked the crowd, acknowledging the audience as “straight-up music lovers” before closing the set with “MoneyGrabber.” Another highlight included the Chain Gang of 1974, an L.A. band that owes a clear musical debt to Depeche Mode and Tears for Fears. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Singer Kamtin Mohager’s energy was infectious and he climbed into the crowd to perform one number at the center of a virtual mosh pit.

Led by Mick Jones, the recently reunited Big Audio Dynamite delivered a solid mix of rock and reggae as it revisited hits such as “Medicine Show” and the set-closing “Rush.” The ever-outrageous Cee Lo, who took the stage in an outfit that looked like something you’d wear to an S&M club or the set of a Mad Max reboot. He opened with his cover of Danzig’s “Mother” and then went into a cover of the Violent Femmes’ “Gone Daddy Gone.” The sound mix was off a little though, and his vocals were distorted or inaudible at times.

Day Two headliner Eminem, who was paired up against My Morning Jacket, was one of the festival’s biggest draws. That’s not only because he’s not touring much this summer but also because he hasn’t played in Chicago in several years. Fans secured spots close to the main stage as early as 11 a.m. to make sure they would have a good view of the show. Eminem came out strong with “Won’t’ Back Down,” but then reverted to a series of medleys that dissipated the show’s original intensity. We stuck around for most of the set (and were thrilled by his execution of “Stan,” his collaboration with Dido). On our way out, we passed Perry’s Stage, where Pretty Lights, a Colorado-based electro act, had a capacity crowd dancing the night away in a rave-like setting.

Day Three kicked off with Rival Schools, the post-hardcore act by veteran Walter Schreifels. One of the noisier bands playing the festival, these guys sounded terrific as Schreifels’s good vibrations are hard to deny. A San Diego act, Little Hurricane sounded too derivative of the White Stripes and while we were excited to see the reunited Cars, the band’s lack of enthusiasm was off-putting, even if turned in studio quality renditions of tunes such as “Let the Good Times Roll” and “Moving in Stereo.” As rain moved in, we headed out, but we heard headliners the Foo Fighters, who went up against DeadMau5, gave a strong performance that featured a guest appearance by Perry Farrell.

While the bands are certainly the main draw, Lollapalooza has succeeded because the festival is an experience. Perry’s Tent provides a rave-like atmosphere for anyone who is into electronic music and the various food vendors offer veggie and vegan alternatives in addition to exotic fare like lobster corndogs. An entire area is devoted to “green” vendors who sell everything from custom-made jewelry to T-shirts and shoes. Expanding the festival grounds for this year’s event meant it was a bit easier to walk from stage to stage, too. While Lollapalooza will likely never tour again, it has found a great home in Chicago (where it brings some $80 million into the local economy).

-Jeff Niesel